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Sudden Fascinations on Russian Aristocracy

I suddenly have quite an interest with Russian aristocracy. Though it is a given that aristocracy interests me as an extension of my fairy-tale fascinations on a prince who will sweep me off my feet (and possibly lead me to the stairwell!), I think I owe it to Ayn Rand‘s We The Living.

For starters, Kira, WTL’s protagonist, was born in a bourgeois family which is forced to adapt to the new communist norm after the Bolshevik Revolution. In the novel, Rand gave short descriptions of the aristocratic life before the Soviet Russia existed. After boring myself in reading her books, I picked up Leo Tolstoy‘s Anna Karenina to serve as my cleansing book (I do really need a break from Ayn Rand after all!).

GeloLopez now reads Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina

Quite honestly, AK does not hook me basically because it’s long. But then again, I still need to finish this. It is not because of the story, therefore, that keeps me going: It is actually the way the main characters live lavishly. There are great parties, races, dinners with French meals and lavish gowns in the story more enough to distract me from the plot itself. As far as I remember, I am on the part where Anna tells Vronsky that she is pregnant (I did not even remember when they slept together!).

With this whole Russian aristocracy fad I currently have, I came about with the Anastasia story published few weeks ago in Inquirer. Though the article is reeking with fishy-ness as I can point out several fallacies, it is quite interesting how the author describes her Lola Puti. Of course, while reading the article, Journey to the Past plays in my mind. Now, I am waiting for the second part of the series but unfortunately, the writer seems to haven’t finished her articles yet. Bah!

I am also fascinated by how Russians name themselves. DYK that the second name of every Russian came from their father? For example, the second name of Anna’s brother Stepan Arkadyevich Oblonsky came from their father Arkady. Anna’s name would be Anna Arkadyevna Karenina (of course she changed her surname after her marriage). Isn’t that cool?!

I am Russian by birth, would swap identities with you anytime lol I can really understand the exotic nature of all of this. I read (and re-read about one hundred times) Anna Karenina in Russian and in English, and got to say that any English translation does it justice alright, so enjoy! As for the new film with Keira Knightley, I think it is a disaster waiting to happen (the cast IS very wrong).

Anna Karenina is turning out a good read for me. It’s giving me a good reading experienced especially now that I got recently fired.
As for the movie, I have a great faith with Keira Knightley but with the movies this year, casting is not really a good barometer for the movie as a whole. Take for example Jude Law, I am angry at them right now for making Jude Law so freaking old. Jude Law is supposed to be really really hot…..haha

Oh and hey, thank you for reading my blog.:) really appreciated it so much.